More On The Voting System
A while ago I posted about my wife’s voter registration adventure. Yesterday she was featured in a news story aired on KUTV, the local CBS affiliate. Basically, what it boils down to is that there is no system to verify a person’s eligibility to vote. Shortly after the story aired, my wife received a phone call from Utah’s Utah’s Lt. Governor, Gary Herbert to discuss her concerns. Granted, you have to give him kudos for wanting to discuss the matter, but Anna quickly grew frustrated at what seemed, to her, not much more than the usual political attempt to smooth-talk her in the hopes that it all goes away. I’m not saying that is the case, but it seemed that way.
Right now, the basic guideline on one’s eligibility to vote as spelled out in the Constitution is that in order to vote, you must be a citizen and 18 years of age. Much of this is explained primarily in the Twenty-Sixth Amendment,
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
the Fifteenth Amendment,
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
and the Nineteenth Amendment
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Section 2.Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The problem is with Section 2 of the Twenty Sixth Amendment in that Congress has never established any means to enforce the article by appropriate legislation. Rightfully, Congress has addressed section two in both the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments, but, apparently has never addressed section 2 of the Twenty Sixth Amendment. The only thing that seems to have been established is to verify that a certain name on a voter registration roll can be matched with an ID to verify that the person exists and lives at the same address as noted on the voter registration record. What does that mean? It means that the very foundation upon which the whole system rests is a crumbling, weak, unsteady mess. The whole house faces collapse. Showing one’s state ID, employer ID, paycheck, or utility bill says absolutely nothing with regards to one’s right to vote. Because of this, the chance of opportunity for voter fraud or manipulation is extremely high which is unconscionable. Stepping into the voting booth and casting a ballot is one of the few, and most powerful, tools citizens have at their disposal to have an influence on what direction our government--both local and national--heads.
As long as the status quo remains, the very cornerstone of our democracy will always be in doubt.
The only way to reasonably verify one’s eligibility to vote is to require a passport, period. A passport is the simplest, most efficient means to establish both citizenship and age--the two stated Constitutional requirements in the Twenty Sixth Amendment to vote. I don’t believe it would take any tinkering with the Constitution, and would not require government tax dollars to implement. If you want to vote, get a passport. Hell, a passport is not any more difficult to get then a drivers license. I know, I’ve got one.
Some people I’ve brought this up to have complained about how it violates or disenfranchises voters by creating “roadblocks” to their right to vote. Nonsense. Securing the foundation upon which this country operates secures your voting rights by minimizing the chance of your valid vote being undermined or diluted by those who do not have a right to vote, not to mention the underlying lack of confidence in the system.
Today, I actually spoke with someone who was nearly hysterical at the notion of showing a passport to vote. They ranted on about how “they have a damned right” and shouldn’t have to show anyone anything to vote.” My question to them was, “Does that mean our right to free speech comes without some responsibilities? Does the fact that you can’t libel someone or scream ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater where no fire is present, mean that your right to free speech is being violated? Does the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms mean that you have a right to have a fargin’ nuclear warhead in your back yard? If not, does that mean that your Constitutional rights are being violated?”
Of course I was met with stammering silence.
Establishing a simple means of verifying of one’s Constitutional prerequisites to vote is securing your right to vote.
Since the election of G.W. Bush there has been much national hand wringing with regards to our voting system and the potential of voter fraud and disenfranchisement. We’ve got punch ballots, various electronic forms of voting, etc. It doesn’t have to be so damned complicated. In fact I can think of just two steps that would go a long ways to minimizing the chance of voter fraud/manipulation and balloting.
1.Require a passport to both register and vote.
2.Paper ballots.
There, problem pretty much solved.